As the male Awakening Master spoke, a grim aura washed over the room.
Then, the male Awakening Master's tone shifted as he continued.
"After the Soul Awakening Ceremony is over, do not leave immediately. We need to register everyone's potential."
Having said what needed to be said, the male Awakening Master activated his Soul Base. A plump, pure-white bird, without a single fleck of another color, appeared on his shoulder.
After being summoned, the plump bird let out a soft cry.
The strange birdsong seemed to bypass the eardrums, piercing directly into one's soul, and Zhong Yi felt instantly invigorated.
This adorably round-faced, plump chicken turned out to be an Evil Soul Owl.
Judging by the Evil Soul Owl's size and form, it was likely an existence at the Extraordinary Peak level with Silver Quality, just one step away from the Fantasy Level.
The man looked to be around thirty years old. It was no easy feat to become an Awakening Master in the Beastmaster Association.
A Soul Awakening Ceremony was generally led by a Main Awakening Master, with an assistant Awakening Master supporting the process.
Judging by the insignias on their clothes, the female Awakening Master was the Main Awakening Master.
'If the assistant Awakening Master's Guardian Beast is at the Extraordinary Peak level with Silver Quality, the main one's must have reached the Fantasy Level.'
'The resources casually displayed by these official organizations are simply astonishing!'
"Alright, time's up."
"Everyone, focus your attention now. Take a deep breath."
As she spoke, a dazzling violet-gold light flared from under the robe on her left shoulder, and four long, furry tails unfurled from behind her.
At the same moment, her pupils vanished, her eyes turning a pure, solid white.
This transformation was a unique ability possessed only by Fantasy Level Guardian Beast Masters.
Whether a Guardian Beast Master awakened a Lifebound Guardian Beast or formed a Contract with another, a Beast Pattern would form on a part of their body.
As the Guardian Beast Master's strength grew, the Beast Pattern would enhance the part of the body where it was located.
And once a Guardian Beast reached the Fantasy Level, activating the Beast Pattern would cause the Guardian Beast Master's body to undergo a convergent transformation with their beast.
This allowed them to wield immense power without even summoning their Guardian Beast.
Before the Fantasy Level, Guardian Beast Masters were extremely vulnerable and easily killed in battle.
But upon reaching the Fantasy Level, a Guardian Beast Master gained more than enough power to protect themselves.
The moment the female Awakening Master transformed, a surging wave of Soul Power swept over the entire room.
As this power passed through the six Soul Energy Stones in the Awakening Room, it instantly became gentler than when it was first released.
However, even this gentle Soul Energy was overwhelming. The young men and women, concentrating with their eyes closed, subconsciously clutched their heads, their bodies trembling violently.
At that moment, the Evil Soul Owl also took flight from the male Awakening Master's shoulder, circling above the heads of the youths.
Whenever someone seemed unable to bear it, the Evil Soul Owl would inject a stream of Soul Power with calming properties into their body.
Fifteen minutes passed. Those with empty Soul Bases were still enduring the intense pain from the stimulation of their souls.
Meanwhile, those with a Lifebound Guardian Beast or a Beastmaster Talent in their Soul Base had already fallen into a trance-like, illusory state.
For the first time, these Awakened were able to glimpse into their own souls, encountering their Lifebound Guardian Beasts or Talents within.
"Su Ya, this batch of kids participating in the Soul Awakening Ceremony has good potential. Twenty-three of them have awakened a Lifebound Guardian Beast or a Beastmaster Talent."
"That's a ratio of over five percent, the highest we've had in the last two months."
Su Ya smiled, raising a hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
"Indeed. We haven't had many ceremonies this year where the awakening ratio exceeded five percent. I wonder if any of these twenty-three kids managed to awaken both a Lifebound Guardian Beast and a Beastmaster Talent."
The male Awakening Master, who had worn a stern expression when facing the parents, was now extremely polite toward Su Ya, with a hint of ingratiation in his tone.
"Su Ya, my Guardian Beast isn't skilled in soul perception. Could you share your vision with me? I'd like to see what kind of Lifebound Guardian Beasts they're awakening."
Upon hearing this, Su Ya gently flicked one of the fox tails behind her.
The tail transformed into a stream of violet-gold light, linking her and the male Awakening Master together.
Immediately, the male Awakening Master's eyes also lost their pupils, turning the same pure, solid white as Su Ya's.
The male Awakening Master's vision of the physical world vanished, replaced by glimpses of the scenes within the Soul Bases of the young Awakened.
He saw a vast forest where a wild boar was happily rooting around in the earth.
The black-and-white boar flung dirt onto itself, letting out happy grunts.
When it got tired, it would lie down for a nap, and upon waking, it would go right back to rooting in the dirt.
"Su Ya, this pig-type Guardian Beast doesn't seem to have any combat Talent. Judging by its physique, it looks like a prolific sow."
"If it can produce a large number of offspring after mating with other pig-type Guardian Beasts, and if those offspring inherit its powerful reproductive ability, it could be cultivated as a decent Production-type Guardian Beast."
Hearing this, Su Ya couldn't help but roll her eyes, having no interest in speculating further about this pig-type Guardian Beast.
"In the Soul Awakening Ceremony, the earlier the Soul Base awakens, the weaker the Lifebound Guardian Beast's Talent. This pig-type Lifebound Guardian Beast has little to no value for cultivation."
"If F weren't the lowest possible rank for potential, even classifying it as such would be a stretch."
Hearing Su Ya's words, the male Awakening Master sighed to himself. 'Su Ya really is strict.'
"Su Ya, do you think we might ever see a great one with S Level potential awaken in one of our ceremonies?"
Su Ya's tone became extremely serious as she replied.
"Xiaodong, you've been an Awakening Master for five years. You, of all people, should know what S Level implies."
"Do not speak so casually about the potential rating of such great figures. You could be seen as disrespectful toward the Celestial Destiny Seekers."
Lu Dong immediately realized he had misspoken. He hastily shut his mouth and went back to observing the scenes within the other Soul Bases.
During the Soul Awakening Ceremony, Su Ya could only make a preliminary judgment of a Guardian Beast Master's potential classification by observing their Soul Base through her Guardian Beast, the Soul Day Purple Fox.
She could also make a rough guess about a Lifebound Guardian Beast's Abilities based on the scene in the Soul Base, but she had no way of perceiving a Guardian Beast Master's Talent.
It wasn't that a Beastmaster Talent failed to produce a scene in the Soul Base; it was just that the scenes they created were far too abstract.
It was difficult enough to even distinguish the type of Ability through observation, let alone guess its effects!